Why one Rutland business is welcoming the extreme heat

An amber weather warning remains in place until Sunday

Author: Ellis MaddisonPublished 12th Aug 2022

With plenty of us feeling the heat at home and at work this week, we're hearing from one business that's embracing the sun.

The Met Office has an amber heat alert in place in Stamford and Rutland until Sunday and is warning that changes to working conditions may be needed, delays to road, rail and air travel is possible, and there's likely to be a risk to health unless precautions are taken.

But, lots of us will still be out and about enjoying the exotic weather, none more so than customers to - and produce of - The Rutland Vineyard.

Having only been started last year, 13,100 vines of six different varieties have already been planted and will be ready for harvesting in May 2024.

In the mean time, the wider farmland is home to sugar beet (for sugar), wheat (for Weetabix) and malted barley (for beer) - while the vineyard's very own bar and café is open to customers.

Those arable crops have taken a hit due to the dry summer, owner Tim Beaver says, but conditions are great for winemaking.

He hopes in a few years that he'll be able to serve his customers the wine made from the grapes just a yards away:

"We've had a few comparisons (to Italian wine country) already, which is very flattering. The vines themselves behind us we cut them back to two buds in May time, because we didn't want any excess growth at the top.'

'Would you believe it or not, but the vines at the moment - their root structure has grown as much as the top structure in the last few months which has been perfect'.

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